student of life

Isaiah 46:4
Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.

Being in the classroom again at 51 is a challenge.  As the group of 30 20-somethings pull out their laptops and log on, I struggle with my old hp, which seems cumbersome and lacks slick appeal. Apparently it lacks other things too. Things I probably can’t spell or pronounce,  because when I discover that I didn’t save my assignment on my laptop and have to log on to the school network to download, it moves like a behemoth and pops me off without warning.

I feel a little like people might be staring and thinking things like ‘oh, so that’s what a mainframe looks like. I always wondered about that.’

And it’s not just the chips in the hp that move slowly. As I listen to my small group discuss our assignment, they almost seem to whisper, and make decisions at lightening speed with a few words and nods, and a lot of laughter. My chips are down, but I enjoy listening anyway. After all, I don’t really have anything to prove.  I just have to remember that I’m not here to compete, but to love and share what I’ve been given with the other 29 people in this room who love God and want to serve his body.

I am a student in seminary, yes; but more so I am a student of life. I am grateful for both tonight; grateful to the God who sustains, carries, and rescues.